What Could Have Been ZackAerith
by Acantha Vine
Summary: Zack/Aerith dream sequence.  Aerith is attending to her garden when she gets an unexpected visitor.


_Zack, where are you?_

Aerith looked up at the entrance of the church for the 4th time and sighed. She had been counting all the times today that she had thought she heard something and looked up, hoping to see him walk through the doors. The number had been diminished as years passed on, but she still held on to her hope. He was still alive somewhere. She took a deep breath, knelt to the ground, and returned to her flowers.

She had written him many letters, but not knowing where to send them, had given them to Tseung, who checked up on her every few days. He promised that they would be delivered to him as soon as he was found. However, she hadn't gotten a response yet.

_Zack, I miss you. Please come back, you promised you would._

Aerith absent-mindedly touched the pink ribbon in her hair. Zack had bought it for her one of the first times they met. She rarely ever took it off, because she felt as though she was losing a part of him when she did.

She looked over at the wagon he made her. He promised her that he would come back to fix it, and that they would sell flowers together when he returned.

_You promised…_

"Aerith?"

She quickly raised her head to look at the entrance to the church and saw him.

Zack was limping into the church, using the his remaining strength to help a young blonde boy walk in with him. However his eyes were bright and focused on her.

"Zack!" Aerith yelled, getting up and running toward them.

Zack reached the first available bench and carefully sat his companion on it. The blonde man remained unresponsive. He then opened his arms toward Aerith who ran straight into him, placing her head onto his chest and squeezed him.

"Aerith…"Zack panted, "you never change…"

Aerith couldn't help laughing as she looked up into his eyes. They were filled with a passion and joy that she had always remembered. His smile didn't falter as he kept breathing deeply from his long journey, staring back at her.

"What took you so long?" Aerith asked, grinning.

Zack smile faded a little as he looked over at the blonde haired boy sitting on the bench.

"I got sidetracked," he whispered, "there were some things I had to do."

Aerith followed his gaze to look at the boy. His head was down and the rest of him looked limp, as if he were just a prop instead of a person.

"What happened to you two?" She asked, breaking away from Zack to kneel beside the boy.

"We got caught up in an experiment by Shinra," Zacks voice turned somber. "They put some sort of cells in us…something that had to do with Jenova."

"That's horrible, "Aerith sighed, getting up to look at Zack again, "how could they do that to you? You were first class, you did so much for them-"

"Aerith," Zack interrupted. His frown was growing, "We don't have much time left before they hunt me down. I need to leave Midgar, and I want you to come with me."

Aerith gasped. Leave Midgar, her mother, her flowers? Everything she had ever known was here.

"Do you remember the promise I made?" He continued, "I told you I would take you to see the sky. It's beautiful, Aerith, I know you'll love it. And we could grow even more flowers; they have no trouble blooming outside Midgar. We could sell them everywhere, and I could find another job, a job where I wouldn't have to leave you so long."

_He obviously had a lot of time to think about this,_ She thought. He knew she was afraid of the sky...but was it really that beautiful?

"Aerith…please," Zack begged, taking her hands in his, "think about it. We could have a life together!"

That was all she had ever wanted; a life with him. And now here he was, offering it to her after years of missing him, hoping he'd come back. And if she didn't go with him? He'd have to leave anyways because he was being hunted, and she would spend the rest of her years here, in a little church selling flowers.

The answer seemed obvious. She smiled.

"I love you, Zack," she said happily, "let's leave."

Without a word, Zack grabbed Aerith and pulled her close, his lips connecting to hers. She blushed but wrapped her arms around him, holding him tighter. He deepend the kiss, making her feel dizzy. The passion between the two lovers was palpable, the space between them nonexistent.

Suddenly the blonde boy's head moved to stare at them, his face deep with concern.

"Aerith?" He asked.

Unwillingly, she broke the kiss to stare at the boy. She knew him…

The boy got up and started shaking her slightly. Aerith was confused. Zack just stood there, watching. What was going on?

Suddenly she was moving, as if something were pulling her out of the church. Zack cried out and tried to catch up to her, but as he ran he was getting nowhere at the same time. The boy's voice got louder with each call as she was pulled out of the church, into darkness.

"Zack!" Aerith screamed, sitting up quickly to look around the room. When she realized where she was, she lay back down and stared at the ceiling, taking deep breaths, trying to remain calm.

She was at an inn at Cosmo Canyon, traveling with Cloud and his company. They were tracking down Sephiroth, and weren't doing a very good job of it.

Most importantly, Zack was dead.

Cloud sat next to her, looking down at her with concerned eyes. Aerith look back at him, fighting back the tears that had been welling inside of her for years.

"I miss him," Aerith stated softly, watching Cloud's somber expression, "I wish that I could follow my dreams like he always told me to…"

She couldn't fight it anymore. Tears started falling down her cheeks. Cloud look at her with pity in his eyes.

"I miss him too, Aerith." Cloud sighed.

She leaned on him and Cloud put his arms around her as they comforted in each other over their loss.

_I miss you too, Aerith, but don't cry; we'll meet again. Remember to embrace your dreams, and follow your heart._


End file.
